Just an update - my son has really loved carrying this device. I put myself under "other business" at the last school council meeting, and forced all in attendance to sit through a brief demo ... and they loved it! The principal and VP in attendance were kind of "meh" about it, but all the other parents thought it was amazing, and were very supportive. Apparently less than 10 kids at the school need one, and none of the other parents in attendance had a child at the school who needed one. Was a nice surprise for a change - I didn't feel like any one was rolling their eyes at me.

My son did need to self-inject a few weeks ago, but he didn't get a chance to use this - he used the Epipen that he keeps in his sport bag. So I got to demo the device to the ER staff later that evening when the doc was writing him a script for a new one.

So far so good ... will be attending a lecture tomorrow night given by Sanofi on anaphylaxis, so hopefully will get a chance to get more info about durability, etc.

I just got my trainer today despite ordering it several weeks ago. Maybe a westcoast thing?

I have two epipens that will be expiring shortly and I'm tempted to get these instead for ease of carrying, especially when the kids aren't at school. For school I'm a little leary of introducing a new product mid-year and am thinking of waiting until September to get the nurse to train staff on epipen and Allerject at the annual training. I know it's very user friendly and it talks people through it, but I don't want to confuse anyone by needing them to remember how to use two different devices . . .including teachers, babysitters or grandparents. This is why I never did purchase twinject.

Another update: Once you have an Allerject injector you can order a free carrying case for it from the Allerject website. (You need the UPC code from the device to order the case.) I saw the offer when I went to register for their expiry reminder service. It looks like my old mobile phone holder will hold two Allerject injectors but it's a tight fit, maybe a little too tight. The SPIbelt will hold two injectors stacked on top of each other (like a sandwich) but not side by side, as they flop over and become sandwiched within seconds. I'll let you know what I think of the free case when it arrives.

_________________anaphylaxis to tree nuts and peanuts; asthmatic, dairy intolerant, vegan
other family members allergic to to dairy, egg, peanut, peach, banana, sesame, environmentals

I was just about to post about the new holder! I saw one last night at the presentation by Dr. Becker. It is pretty small, and has a belt-loop attachment ring. I might suggest to my son that he attach it to his belt loop but put it in his pocket, just to help prevent it from falling out. It's a neoprene material, really light and soft.

I tried the trainer out last week. In my excitement I got a little confused and I forgot to "stab" it like the epipen. I think the thought going through my mind was since it was electronic (it was talking to me!), I didn't need to do the same physical stabbing motion - I thought it would inject with slight contact...

Another question - MomtoBunches, you would know this? If a Dr prescribes 'Epinephrine Auto Injector Junior', for instance, does this mean the patient can choose between epipen, twinject and allerject? Or does the Dr have to specify which brand? I'm assuming if the Dr prescribes 'Epipen', then I can't get it filled as Allerject? I'm in BC if this makes any difference. . .

A couple of years ago we wanted to get the Twinject but the Pharmacist had to call the Allergist and she would not let us switch from the EpiPen prescription. Now, with the Allerject we got a specific prescription for that.

We are in Manitoba.

_________________me: allergic to crustaceans plus environmental
teenager: allergic to hazelnuts, some other foods and environmental

Thanks. I spoke to a pharmacist at a local large chain and she said if it was unspecified, I could get any brand. I'm not sure if this would actually work, and I think it might depend on the specific pharmacy and even pharmacist. . .

Sorry for the late response, for some reason I'm not getting e-mails with the responses like I usually do!

I've had this discussion with several allergists, by far the majority response has been that the patient can get whatever Epi they choose as long as they are confident in the ability to use it and train caregivers on it.

When the Twinject came out we did have a few that insisted on it due to the built-in back-up dose, and I was reluctant to switch that one. However, with my own son, the school staff were clearly not confident with the Twinject, so I ended up switching him anyway. Shortly afterwards, the Twinject shortage started and every prescription for Twinject had to be filled with an Epipen anyway! The love affair with Twinject also ended prematurely when they had the recall.

I've spoken with several docs about the new Allerject as well, and they seem quite excited about it - and most have said that they will be happy to prescribe both - whatever the patient chooses to fill will be up to them (ie allergist will give a prescription for both of them!)

Personally, I am showing every parent the new Allerject trainer, and letting them decide right there. Usually they are getting an Epipen for now, and going home to order the trainer for Allerject. Pharmacists can renew prescriptions in some provinces, and with epinephrine being what's called Schedule 2, it is pharmacist-prescribed anyway. I haven't switched very many, as I see advantages and disadvantages of both. The most common scenario is running out of refills and no doctor's apt scheduled for months - I will often just prescribe whichever one at that point.

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